


Being There

by ClassyFangirl



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Bullying, Developing Relationship, M/M, Protectiveness, Slurs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-18
Updated: 2013-10-18
Packaged: 2017-12-29 17:56:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1008339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ClassyFangirl/pseuds/ClassyFangirl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Newt and Hermann defend each other from those assholes who seem to crop up wherever they go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Being There

**Author's Note:**

> Another fill for an anonymous prompter. c: Both ableist and homophobic slurs are used in this fic- fair warning, all ye who enter here.

The Shatterdome is staffed by adults who are tasked with protecting the world from alien monsters. Hermann assumed that immature bullying would be the last thing on everyone’s mind.

Apparently, he has assumed incorrectly.

“Fuckin’ spaz,” he hears a man spit as he rounds the corner. “You forget to take your meds again?”

“Uh, no,” Newt says, sounding affronted. “I don’t _forget_ , asshole- and hey, who gives a shit what meds I’m on? Fuck _off_ , buddy!”

Hermann stares down the long, long hallway, where Newt is being slowly backed up against the wall by a large man Hermann vaguely recognizes as a jaeger engineer. They’re far away, but their voices carry easily, echoing against the walls.

The engineer grabs Newt’s arm, which Hermann _knows_ is still stinging from his relatively new tattoo. “What’s this? More of your fuckin’ kaiju tribute? You some kinda sick pervert? Huh? You wanna get fucked by a kaiju?”

“Buddy, my bedroom life is _none_ of your business-”

“Holy shit!” The engineer laughs uproariously as his grip tightens on Newt’s arm, making him wince. “You _do_! You fuckin’ _freak_ , I can’t believe _you’re_ our ‘kaiju expert’! D’you jerk off to the organs when you’re all alone?”

“You!” Hermann snaps, finally making his way further down the hall. “Leave him alone, you disgusting brute!”

The engineer just laughs again. “Oh, look, your cripple boyfriend’s here to save you! I’m so scared, what’ll I do?”

Hermann slams his cane against the engineer’s kneecaps. The combined force of the blow and the sheer surprise send him tumbling to the floor, almost dragging Newt with him. Newt scrambles to stay upright, and stares at Hermann.

Hermann presses the bottom of his cane against the engineer’s chest. “I _will_ be reporting this incident to Marshall Pentecost at once,” he hisses. “Whatever punishment you receive is entirely up to him, but I _assure_ you that I will _strongly_ suggest that your job be terminated immediately. Have I made myself perfectly clear?”

The engineer nods hastily. Hermann takes Newt’s arm and starts to lead him away. “Quickly,” he whispers. “I don’t expect I’ll be able to do that again.”

When they are in the elevator, headed to the Marshall’s office, Newt whoops with delight and pulls Hermann into a powerful hug. “Dude,” he says, “that was awesome! Jesus, Hermann, who knew you were such a badass?”

Hermann can feel Newt vibrating with nervous energy, so he just pats Newt’s back in as comforting a manner as he can manage. “Yes, well. The man was a damned idiot.”

Within a week, the engineer has been fired and replaced by a smiley New Zealand girl who Ranger Hansen says is far better at her job and “much less of a cock than that old fella”.

The biggest success, in Hermann’s mind, is seeing the private grins Newt flashes him every now and then as thanks.

 

ooo

 

Newt’s been trying to figure out how to thank Hermann properly for the last _six months_. Should he bake him a cake? Is that what you do in these situations? Bake a big chocolate cake with _thanks for protecting me from a giant asshole_ written in icing- it seems a bit like overkill, and a little on the romantic side.

Not that he’s trying to actively _suppress_ anything on the romantic side. Just. It seems like a lot for a thank you.

Anyway, Newt only just realized it’s been six _frickin’_ months since Hermann totally swooped in like a badass and knocked a dude out with his cane and sheer force of will (more or less; maybe he’s exaggerating a little, who cares), and he thinks he _really really_ ought to give Hermann a proper thank you. Which is why he’s pacing the halls of the Shatterdome at midnight, muttering to himself.

“Not a _card_ ,” he mutters. “Cards are _boring_ \- unless I put, like, pop-up planets on it? Hermann likes space- no, no, that’s _stupid_ , he’d just yell at me for getting Saturn’s rings wrong or something...”

“Hey, faggot!”

Newt stiffens reflexively at the call, and it takes him a moment to realize that no, nobody’s yelling it at _him_. Which was a nice change of pace from high school- but somebody _did_ yell it, which was the furthest thing from cool.

“Yeah, you! You fuckin’ pansy, c’mere!”

He follows the voices (which sound awfully drunk and very much like the jocks who tortured him in school) to the gym. Different from the Kwoon, which was specifically for Drift compatibility testing- this was a regular gym, where staff (mostly the pilots, really) could work out. Why were people here at midnight?

That question quickly changes into why is _Hermann_ here at midnight? Quickly followed by why is he surrounded by four drunk technicians? And, not a question but omnipresent, a loud thrum of _oh shit oh shit oh shit_.

“You workin’ out, little man?” one of the technicians asked. “God knows you need it- look at those arms, Jesus Christ, it breaks my heart.”

Hermann doesn’t say anything. He just holds himself straighter than usual, making an obvious attempt to correct his shitty posture, and clearly straining his leg in the process.

“Come _on_ ,” another tech says. “Say something! You gone mute all of a sudden?”

“Hey!” Newt snaps, barging into the room. “Leave him alone, you- you _assfucks_!” He internally winces at the stupid insult and tries not to let it show on his face.

The techs just laugh. “ _Ohhh,_ I get it!” one of them says. “You’re working out so you can fuck your little boyfriend harder, right?”

He and another tech start pelvic-thrusting and whooping while the others laugh. Newt can feel his fists shaking, and it’s a goddamn miracle he hasn’t thrown a punch yet. “Don’t you assholes have anything better to do?” he says- more like yells, okay, but he’s _trying_ to remain calm. “ _Giant aliens_ come out of the ocean regularly and you wanna take out your pent-up aggression on one of the smartest guys in the world, the guy who _coded the fucking jaegers_? Jesus, what the fuck is _wrong_ with you?”

They’re too drunk to look at all contrite, but it does give them pause. “Hey, these are the guys that got Sharman fired,” one tech says. “We should probably-”

“ _Shit,_ that was them?” another one says. “Oh shit, oh shit- him with the cane? Oh _shit_ , dude-”

They don’t _run_ , which is too bad, but they do get out of there pretty quickly. Newt nods firmly, then runs over to Hermann, who is now leaning against a stationary bike for support.

“Are you okay, man?” he asks. “They didn’t hurt you or anything, did they?”

“No,” Hermann says. “No, they did not. Bastards, the lot of them. _Gott_. Tendo ought to be more careful about who he gives his damned ‘moonshine’ to.”

Newt can hear the airquotes around moonshine, which tells him that yeah, Hermann’s okay. He swings an arm over his shoulder and leads him to the benches against the wall, where they sit down, Hermann sighing gratefully.

“What _were_ you doing in here, dude?” Newt asks. “It’s midnight, not a great time for exercise.”

Hermann sighs and shakes his head. “I...my doctor has asked me to increase my exercise regimen. She says it will lessen my pain, and perhaps won’t even need to use the cane every day.”

“Okay, I get that- which is awesome, by the way, you go, man -but why _now_? Still midnight. Still a little weird.”

“Newton, during the day, this gym is _filled_ with jaeger pilots. People who are athletically proficient in every way.” He idly taps his fingers against Newt’s leg, and Newt realizes suddenly that yeah, they’re sitting awfully close. “Imagine, if you will, that a fourteen-year-old of average intelligence was forced to do their science and maths homework in the same room as us, while we worked on our own projects.”

“Oh. Oh, _man_.” Newt frowns and gently bumps Hermann’s shoulder with his own. “Still- you don’t have to do it by yourself. Hell, you could’ve asked me to come with you! God knows I could use a little exercise.” He grins and prods his stomach for emphasis.

Hermann smiles, just a bit ( _victory!_ ) and shakes his head. “Perhaps not. I like you just as you are.”

There’s a tense moment. Newt swears it’s _literally_ tense, he could cut the air with a knife if he tried. “Me too,” he says. “Except. About you. Obviously.”

“Oh,” Hermann says. “That’s. Well. That’s good to know.”

Newt carefully wraps his hand around Hermann’s, and Hermann lets him. “If you’re done exercising, we could...go back to my room. If you want.”

“I’d...I’d like that. Yes.”

They stand, and Newt can feel his heart pounding, a staccato _holy shit holy shit holy shit_ , the same words racing through his head, too, and buzzing beneath his skin, a goddamn symphony of _holy fucking shit_.

“One thing, before I forget,” Hermann says. He leans forward carefully and presses a soft, chaste kiss to Newt’s lips. “Thank you. For being there.”

“No problem,” Newt says. His voice sounds weirdly small. “I’m pretty good at that. Being there.”


End file.
